Are you stuck in the same old routine when it comes to
managing your online giving? It happens. Once you’ve found what works for
getting daily tasks completed efficiently, you may never step outside your
comfort zone. By not exploring the features available to you, you could be
missing out.
New developments are released often, and online giving
software continues to advance in ways designed to help you. The best online
giving companies create features (and update them) based on feedback from
actual users—people just like you.
When you examine giving features a little closer, you’ll
discover surprising ways they make the experience better for givers and admins.
If you’re wondering what you might be ignoring, here are
seven overlooked features that grow giving, save money, and reduce administrative
burden:
#1 – SINGLE TRANSACTION GIVING FOR MULTIPLE CAMPAIGNS
When people donate to multiple campaigns in a single
transaction, the church saves money. This is because churches are only charged
one transaction fee when donors give to numerous funds rather than a separate
fee per gift. Givers aren’t boxed into splitting the gift into exact amounts
either. They can donate $50 to one fund and $25 to the next in the same
transaction.
For instance, when someone gives to your church’s building
fund, general fund, and youth ministry in one transaction, the fee is only 39¢.
If they had to do this in three separate transactions, the charges would add up
to $1.17. While saving 78¢ may not seem significant, as people give throughout
the year, these savings can really accumulate.
#2 – VIRTUAL TERMINAL
Some churchgoers prefer the convenience of filling out their
gift information on paper and having the church administrator complete the
transaction. The Virtual Terminal allows you to give on behalf of the donor and
is accessible for credit cards and ACH donations. By not utilizing this simple
feature, you could be missing out on a chance to increase giving.
#3 – FORMS
Forms simplify event registration and giving because there’s
less manual tracking and entries. Create an unlimited number of forms to
collect specific information based on your goals.
- Contact information
- Giving
- Events & retreat
registration
- Fundraisers
- Prayer requests
- Volunteer sign-ups
- Tuition payments
- Sponsorship purchases
- Mailing lists
- Payment tracking and
management
- Other ministry needs
Customize forms with images, colors, and text to reflect
your church’s brand. When building a form, drag and drop fields like payment
and contact information, checklists, and more to capture data.
While you can copy an existing form or build your own, save
time by choosing a pre-made template like Children’s Event or Volunteer Sign
Up. You can still customize the template, but the bulk of the work is already
done for you.
#4 – CONVENIENCE FEE OPTIONS
People are passionate about the mission of the church, and
that’s one reason they give. But they don’t often consider those small expenses
the church absorbs. That’s where convenience fees come in. Convenience fees can
be used to help cover processing fees, shipping costs, and more.
Add convenience fees to any form, whether it’s for selling
t-shirts or donating to a specific fund. You choose to make this fee an option
or a requirement. You also select whether you want this fee to be a flat dollar
amount or a percentage of the gift.
#5 – PAY LATER
Allow people to bypass entering payment information when
registering for events or ordering items like t-shirts. Instead, they can check
the “Pay Later” box. Submissions with Pay Later selected will be labeled as
such in your CSV export.
This option increases participation because people can
commit to the event, purchase a t-shirt, or enroll their kids in VBS in the
moment. They can then pay when it’s more convenient for them to provide the
funds, like when they sit down to budget their monthly bills or on their
payday.
#6 – CUSTOM REPORTS
Chances are, you’re using the reporting tools needed for
daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that keep church finances functioning like
clockwork. Go a step further and run custom reports that provide insight into
giving patterns.
Review custom reports by person, fund, and date range. This
information helps to identify giving trends and provides insight when choosing
dates for outreach events. With this data, you’ll be better prepared for dips
in generosity and have a clearer picture of what yearly giving and
participation looks like.
#7 – PLANS AND ADD-ONS
As your ministry grows, you may search for more robust
features that you don’t think your giving platform provides. Often, tools that
further your vision are right under your nose. Transitioning to the next plan
up or utilizing powerful add-ons provides those additional features your church
needs.
Digital giving solutions like ShelbyNext Giving have three convenient pricing plans and integrates with a church app, ChMS, and more.
Source: Valerie Russell – Content Specialist for
Ministry Brands
Shelby Systems is committed to helping churches large and small streamline their giving process. We provide the software and the plan that can help your church make the leap to digital giving. To find out how, contact one of our Ministry Consultants today.